The Role of International Organizations in the de democratization of Elections in Ukraine

The article studies the place and the role of international governmental and non-governmental organizations in the democratization of the election in Ukraine. Using a set of general scientific, logical and empirical scientific methods, the authors have identified the main forms of influence of international organizations on the democratization of the electoral process: regulatory influence (development of legal documents governing compliance with international democratic standards by international organizations; assessment of compliance with democratic principles of national election legislation and creation of recommendations for its improvement); controlling influence (implementation by international organizations of short-term and long-term observation of the election campaign, voting and counting of votes); institutional and functional influence (implementation by international organizations of projects to improve the election in specific countries by providing logistical, advisory, educational assistance, etc.). The peculiarities of international organizations’ implementation of the above-mentioned forms of influence during the elections in Ukraine are analyzed. It is concluded that the most important electoral role is played by international organizations in transit societies, where the promotion of electoral procedures by the international community often becomes a catalyst for democratic change in these countries. The authors argue that international organizations have pursued an active policy to support the elections in Ukraine since independence till now. They have had a significant impact on the democratization of electoral law and electoral practice of our country and contributed to the formation of democratic electoral awareness and culture of Ukrainian citizens.